Spanning Twenty Thousand Years

Douluo Continent, Heaven Dou Imperial City.

This place had just experienced a great battle, a ridiculous palace coup.

Then, one of the protagonists of this battle was swept away by an unknown force during the evacuation.

Snake Lance Douluo and Pufferfish Douluo realized something was wrong at the same time and began to search frantically.

"Young Mistress..."

"Young Mistress, where are you?"

The two called out to their surroundings, completely failing to notice a pitch-black screen suddenly unfolding in the dark sky.

The screen seemed to be preparing to play something, and as the image expanded, it caught the attention of half the people on Douluo Continent.

Time and space had shifted by twenty thousand years.

Elsewhere, in a sealed laboratory of the Sun Moon Federation in Heaven Dou City, a youth who looked to be about eighteen was hunched over, busy at work.

A dark red lab coat accentuated his lean frame. With black hair and black eyes, he held a syringe steadily in his fingertips, pushing forward a near-maniacal experiment—artificial Soul Masters.

Once he successfully broke through, he would attempt experiments for artificial Soul Kings, artificial Soul Emperors, and even artificial Titled Douluo.

His name was Yin Hongye, and he was a transmigrator. He was currently trying to transform ordinary people without a shred of Soul Power into Soul Masters qualified for combat and cultivation.

The transparent potion seeped slowly through a thin tube into the test subject's arm vein.

The youth lowered his eyes, his grip steady.

"Hold on. After this dose, you will no longer be a mortal with no power to truss a chicken."

The person on the recliner tensed, teeth chattering: "It hurts... it feels like my bones are about to explode."

"The transformation is essentially stripping bone and replacing blood. Endure it, and you will have the path of a Soul Master." The youth's tone was flat, though a fanatical obsession hid in the depths of his eyes. "There shouldn't be a fixed conclusion about high or low innate Soul Power in this world. I want to create a world where everyone can cultivate."

The syringe was pushed to the bottom, the entire dose injected. The subject convulsed violently, and the laboratory equipment hummed and vibrated.

Yin Hongye leaned over the recording desk, his pen tip flying across the paper, noting down heart rate, meridian fluctuations, and the fusion rate of the potion—a series of cold, hard figures.

The subject's violent tremors gradually subsided, his tense limbs relaxed, and heavy gasps filled the laboratory.

He reached out to check the Soul Power Sensor on the other's wrist; the number was pinned steadily at the ten-level mark.

It worked, he had succeeded!

The first successful test subject of the Federation.

The man slowly opened his eyes. His cheeks were sunken, skin clinging to his cheekbones, and his frame was noticeably thinner; the potion had forcibly drained a portion of his vitality.

He looked as if he had been tortured by an Evil Soul Master.

"Is this Soul Power? At my age, do I actually have a chance to become a Soul Master?"

"Level ten, the standard for absorbing a first ring." Yin Hongye put away his notebook, the pages covered in dense handwriting. "The price is a loss of vitality; subsequent recuperation can only provide minor compensation."

"It seems to consume the soul, this... I estimate you can only absorb a ten-year Soul Spirit; it lacks expandability."

Yin Hongye buried his head in comparing sets of data, his mind completely immersed in the experimental deductions. The space behind him suddenly twisted and vibrated, and a figure crashed heavily to the ground.

Golden hair matched a gilded crown, and broad, gilded wings unfurled behind her. A white and gold form-fitting battle suit was woven with pale purple patterns, a cinched waist accentuating her upright posture. Segmented gold-patterned battle boots stepped firmly onto the ground, and white gauze over a black lining swayed in the wind. In her hand, a golden holy sword was wrapped in heavy holy light, its sacred sharpness striking head-on.

This person was Qian Renxue, who had not yet become a god.

She raised her eyes to scan the dying test subject bound to the equipment, immediately concluding that the dark-red-clad youth before her was a Fallen Soul Master harming ordinary people.

She leveled her holy sword forward, the pressure of the holy light filling the entire laboratory.

"Audacious Fallen Soul Master, how dare you torture and kill ordinary citizens!"

Yin Hongye raised his eyes, the recording pen still pinched in his fingertips: "Where did you come from, Yue Family? How did you get into my lab? Do you believe I'll go find your clan leader!"

"Fallen Soul Master, what are you talking about? What Yue Family? What are they?"

Qian Renxue stopped wasting words and thrust her holy sword forward. Yin Hongye dodged to the side, confusion in his eyes; he truly couldn't figure out how this woman had appeared.

Although his spiritual power couldn't compare to those old monsters, he shouldn't have failed to notice someone this weak.

Was this sent by Chen Xinjie again? Were these people sick? Did they have to send someone with a broken brain over?

"Are you sick in the head? Before I lose my temper, get out!"

"What do you mean sick? You Fallen Soul Master, I will definitely kill you!" Qian Renxue shouted.

The sword light struck again, and Yin Hongye finally lost his temper. A red glow ignited in his black eyes, and as he whipped his dark red coat, his Martial Soul suddenly appeared—

It was a Hellfire Crimson Lotus slowly blooming in the void. Its crimson petals unfolded in layers, each one burning with dark red flames that incinerated all things. An eerie red glow pulsed at the heart of the lotus, and a scorching heat wave swept out from him as the center. The temperature of the entire laboratory soared, and the glass vessels groaned under the unbearable heat.

Beside him, two swords born of his Martial Soul floated, carrying boundless killing intent.

Soul Rings rose in circles.

All nine Soul Rings were blood-red.

Qian Renxue's sword stopped in mid-air.

She looked at those nine Soul Rings, her pupils contracting.

A Titled Douluo-level Fallen Soul Master? And he wasn't staying in Slaughter City? Just how many people had he killed to reach this level of cultivation?

"Who gave you the courage to be more arrogant than a Titled Douluo when you're only a seven-ring Soul Sage?" Yin Hongye's voice had turned icy.

Above the Heavenly Screen, the images suddenly synchronized.

Twenty thousand years ago, Spirit City.

Qian Daoliu stepped out of the Worship Hall and looked up to see his granddaughter on the screen. Then, his gaze fell to Yin Hongye's feet—

Nine blood-red Soul Rings.

The old man froze on the steps. This Soul Ring configuration definitely meant he had participated in a Divine Examination; yes, that had to be it.

In the laboratory, Qian Renxue did not lower her sword, but her knuckles had turned white.

"Who... who exactly are you?"

"Who do you think I am?"

"Are you really a Fallen Soul Master?"

"A Fallen Soul Master? That's an outdated, feudal term from twenty thousand years ago." Only then did Yin Hongye notice the blonde girl's choice of words.

That term had vanished for twenty thousand years; how could anyone still be using it?

He took a step forward, his nine Soul Rings vibrating slightly, causing the laboratory lights to burst one after another as glass shards rained down.

"My name is Yin Hongye, just an ordinary researcher."

"And you, who exactly are you, and why are you here!"

Qian Renxue remained silent for a moment, her gaze shifting around as she realized the surrounding environment was completely different from the world she knew.

"My name is Qian Renxue. Where exactly is this place?"

Upon hearing the name Qian Renxue, the laboratory suddenly fell very quiet.

Yin Hongye was stunned for a moment, then suddenly found it incredibly ridiculous. "Qian Renxue? Are you sure that's your name?"

"Yes. Do you know me?"

"The Qian Renxue from Spirit Hall?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're actually impersonating someone who died twenty thousand years ago in front of me. Although the history books don't record the exact date of her death, it's very clear that she was severely wounded by the Sea God Tang San and was no longer a god. Spirit Hall is gone, too."

"Some say she died at Jialing Pass, others say she lived out her days in seclusion in the mountains. Regardless, she's a dead person."

Hearing this, Qian Renxue's pupils trembled, and the people of Spirit Hall twenty thousand years ago were equally shaken.

"Hahaha, it's good that Spirit Hall is gone."

Only Bibi Dong felt a sense of inexplicable excitement in her heart, mixed with a trace of inexplicable sorrow.